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Mayor John Tory says he wasn’t serious when he suggested publicly shaming TTC fare cheats, but his comments have reopened the debate on an important issue for the cash-strapped transit agency — is fare evasion on the rise?

Tory raised eyebrows Monday night when, during his regulartelevision call-in show on CP24, he revealed that he had pitched a novel method of cracking down on fare evasion to TTC brass.

“I even said we may have to get to the stage where we have to shame people and publish their picture in the newspaper and say, this is somebody who for the sake of a TTC fare made everybody else pay,” he said.

Asked Tuesday morning about his comments, Tory said that he was “musing” and wasn’t intent on carrying out the plan.

But he didn’t walk back his on-air statement that “there are far more people now evading fares than was the case in the past.”

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Among TTC users waiting for the 504 streetcar at Yonge and King Sts. on Tuesday evening, there was no consensus that fare fraud is getting worse.

“I don’t know about on the rise, but it’s always been there,” said Shayan Raji. Yet Raji admitted that in the past he hasn’t always been above skipping out on paying full price himself.

“Sometimes if you don’t have 25 cents and it’s $3.25, they don’t let you on. Other times they do. So it’s all just trial and error,” he said. Raji said he now has a Metropass.

Warren Garrett said he always pays full fare — unless he’s not able to. He uses a Presto card, and sometimes the reader on the streetcar isn’t working.

“I go to another machine on the car. If they’re all out, I just say to the driver, they’re not working. That’s it,” he said. He estimated that he’s been unable to pay only once or twice because of Presto malfunctions. (The TTC has advised riders to carry alternate forms of payment until the Presto roll-out is complete, scheduled for late 2017.)

According to the TTC, there’s no evidence that fare evasion is increasing.

“Our experience around fare evasion remains fairly consistent,” wrote agency spokesperson Brad Ross in an email. He said that roughly 2 to 3 per cent of riders don’t pay, a rate typical of public transit systems.

TTC chair Josh Colle said he’s “heard those same stories” about fare evasion rising, and believes there could be some truth to them.

“Anecdotal evidence is that it is more frequent,” Colle said. “But at the same time, staff has continued to tell us that it has been pretty constant . . . It’s probably somewhere in between.”

Colle said that what is certain is that the TTC is in a “transition period” in terms of fare collection.

All-door boarding, introduced late last year, allows passengers to board streetcars by the rear doors if they have proof-of-payment, like a Metropass or valid transfer.

In addition to that change, the transit agency is gradually installing the Presto system across the network, and since March 2015, kids 12 and under have been allowed to ride free.

“For a hundred years we’ve kind of all used the system in the same way,” said Colle. Because of the “complexity” of the new ways of paying, “there is a potential for an increase” in fare evasion, he argued.

The TTC estimates that fare evasion costs it about $20 million a year in lost revenue. By comparison, the controversial 10-cent fare hike approved by the TTC board on Monday is expected to raise $27 million a year. The agency is facing a budget shortfall next year of at least $61 million.

According to Ross, the TTC is serious about stopping fare scofflaws. The agency has a complement of 76 fare inspectors, whose sole responsibility is verifying payment. The agency’s 49 special constables can also help prevent fare evasion.

Ross said the agency has seen “no evidence” that all-door boarding has contributed to fare evasion, but “there are some (high school) students who are trying to pass themselves off as children.” The TTC has sent letters to high schools “reminding them that students must pay their proper fare or risk a fine,” Ross said.

The fine for refusing to pay TTC fare is $235, while passengers who use an “invalid fare media” can be dinged for $425.

The TTC board recently instructed the agency to start issuing more tickets to riders who don’t pay, instead of letting them off with warnings.

“Issuing fines is something people will begin to see more of,” Ross said.

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